Lord of All Immortals (Closed for one Male. PM To Join.)

Vlad Drakul

He stood in the Great Room of the castle, looking down over the valley below. The thin wisps of clouds reflected the dying light as the sun sank below the western horizon and his chest heaved as he let out a woeful sigh. Malaise over the years had been building in Vlad Drakul, more now than he could remember in his centuries of life. The village near the river at the base of the mountain had offered him some reprieve from the boredom, but the people had little strength of will left in them. Poverty and decades of substandard living had robbed them of the fire in their spirit that made their blood sweet to drink. All they could offer now was sustenance without thrill or pleasure. Their blood, which had once given him such fulfillment, was now just a way to survive for him.

He had not fed in several days and could feel the thirst in his throat, the slight tightening of the muscles and they tried to draw in the blood that was not there. Tonight, he would have to travel down to the village to feed. It was almost more of a chore now to go there. He made his way to the stables and prepared the horses and his small carriage. He had found over the years that it was best to travel conventionally, rather than to use his shapeshifting powers. People seemed to panic when unexplainable things began to happen, and panicked people soon became dangerous people.

The voyage to the bottom of the cliff was a slow and arduous process. The horses were used to the road, but still couldn’t break into a gait faster than a walk to keep the carriage from slipping off the narrow switchbacks. It took nearly an hour to travel down the steep slope to the outskirts of the village below. The sun had dipped below the crest of the valley, bathing the village in the soft shadows of nightfall. He stopped his horses and unhitched them from the coach, tying them securely to a nearby tree so they could graze and regain their strength for the return trip.

There was a drunkard lying asleep nearby, blissfully unaware that he was about to become a meal. Vlad went to him silently and feasted, draining the coppery-tasting life force from his veins. The man never stirred as he died. He would not become one of Vlad’s minions, only a meal. The twinge in the back of his throat was satisfied for now, but he knew he would soon be coming back for another meal. He dragged the pale man through the weeds and tossed the body into the river. The swift current would carry him away from the village, away from suspicion.

He rarely went into the town itself, keeping mostly to himself in his castle on the cliff face above, but knew that it was necessary to make an appearance from time to time to keep the paranoid souls from suspecting him. For all they knew, he was a simple eccentric recluse who only came down the mountain for supplies. What he did in his castle was none of their concern, all they cared about was their own survival. Vlad was not an extraordinary or frightening man from a visual standpoint, probably the main reason he was mostly left alone.. He stood no taller than the other men of the village and was of normal build. His raven hair hung loosely around his face, framing his defined jawline and pointed chin. The only real feature that set him apart from the mob were his eyes. In stark contrast to the prevalent brown eyes of the region, his eyes were a striking azure blue, much the same color of a clear morning sky. His dark cloak hung loosely around his body, the hem seeming to skirt just above the well-worn cart path.

He began walking towards the town, taking the slow deliberate steps he had become accustomed to taking on the valley floor instead of levitating from place to place. The creatures of the night stopped their lively symphony as he passed, the flying insects ceasing the incessant bussing of their wings and the chirping night crickets silencing their instruments. Even the very leaves of the trees stood still as he passed the rows of trees, an eerie feeling falling over the forest behind him.

The soft mist from the river came to him, surrounding him in its gentle embrace. The fog naturally radiated to him and gave him a deep feeling of security. In ancient times, he had used the fog to hide from his enemies, slipping away into the night as they fumbled about in the murky air. As he approached the town, he passed by one darkened building after another. The town was mostly sleeping and he knew only the Red Boot, the local tavern, and the Boar’s Den, the local store, would be open. His list was short, a bonus as he wished to leave this wretched place and return to his castle. The mist faded as he moved deeper into the town until just a slight cloudiness at his feet remained.

The streets were deserted, the town slumbering away, except for one faint set of footfalls ahead. Vlad dismissed them as another drunk stumbling home and continued towards the Boar’s Den. He stopped dead in his tracks a few feet from the next cross street. There was something about the owner of those footfalls that was different. She came around the corner and stopped cold, a light sound of startlement coming from her lips.

There was something different about this one, something that he had not felt in some time in this village. Her heart pounded in her chest, a sweet sound as the fresh blood moved through her veins. There was a spark in her that had not yet bee extinguished, a glimmer of hope that coursed through her very being. He smiled at the young lass on the road in front of him.

“Pardon me, Miss. I did not mean to startle you,” he said, eyeing the girl over. She still had the fire within her, and he knew he had to have her. A little acting, perhaps a confused traveler, to gain her trust, and then he would invite her back to his castle to repay her kindness. Judging from her slightly sullied appearance, she would probably be most thankful for a fresh, hot meal and a new dress. His smile softened and he held his list out to her as he stepped closer. “I have come down for some supplies, but it’s been so long, I seem to have lost my way. Can you help me to find the Boar’s Den so I may fetch these supplies?”

Vlad Speaks with Celeste

Her eyes seemed fixated on him, staring deep into his eyes. He had that effect on those of weaker will than his own, especially over women. He had been told on numerous occasions throughout the years that his eyes were both beautiful and haunting at the same time; one of the many curses of becoming the walking dead.

She stepped back as he approached. She was wise to suspect anyone out at this hour of night. Most of the miscreants that wandered the streets after dark were either thieves or drunks, neither of which would have any qualms about taking advantage of a young woman.

She addressed him, but not in a way he was accustomed. Her voice was strong and lacked the tired and hackneyed accent common to the valley villages. As she pointed the way to Boar’s Head, she kept her eyes away from his. He couldn’t decide if it was a purely submissive gesture, or if she felt something odd about him and was almost terrified to look into his eyes. Her finger pointed down the street. The lights from the small oil lamps inside were clearly visible, but he couldn’t let her go. She was too unique, a jewel of force in a sea of weakness.

“Just..head down that path there. Three shops down, only you should see that there are lights on."

He smiled at her as he tucked the list back into his vest pocket. Even though she couldn’t see his teeth, he kept his fangs mostly hidden under his upper lip. He stepped to her again, reaching out with one open hand to her shoulder, making sure not to touch her or scare her off, but merely guiding her towards the shop’s lights.

“Miss, please come with me. Who knows what devils are prowling the streets tonight. And I would sleep much better at night knowing the shopkeeper hasn’t swindled me out of any of my coin. Be assured that any help you give me will not go without reward.”

The lure of money was a vice not many could resist, especially money that came with little to no effort. He hoped he could lure her to the shop, and then to his castle, without the use of force. The prize would be much sweeter if she came willingly.

She had wanted so desperately to go home at that point. Much like everyone else, her day was finished when she was in the safety of her home instead of wandering the cold streets in order to get back to her house. But this was a completely foreign distraction to her, and the fact that he was obviously of a completely different stature that she thought she would never even get to see intrigued her.

Her slight frame tensed somewhat as his hand seemed to usher her along with him, and there was something about it - to the extent that as his hand moved forward, she took a step forward. It wasn't as though her will was being controlled, but more like being..bent in a different direction since she was at this point completely naive about what he was.

"Miss, please come with me. Who knows what devils are prowling the streets tonight. And I would sleep much better at night knowing the shopkeeper hadn't swindled me out of any of my coin. Be assured that any help you give me will not go without reward."

She stepped forward with little need to be asked, smiling slightly at this accusation of devils on the street seeing as he had just come out of nowhere and startled her. But the smile was gone just as quickly as it had graced her features at the offer of money. It made her stop, her gaze upon him quite suddenly cold - almost hateful.

"..Despite what you may very well think,..good Sir, not everyone that you meet upon a cold street is in need or in want of your money." Her cheeks turned an even deeper pink in her slight raise in anger, in almost insult. "..I was quite willing to go with you...so you could..as you said "sleep better at night", however now I do not think that I wish to accompany you any further. As I said..the shop you need to find is three buildings down. Goodnight,..Sir."

With that she sidestepped only to pass him apparently back on her way toward her home. Despite the fact that many would be grateful for any offer of money, for a woman it was different. She worked day in and day out at a horrible job to help support her family..or what was left of them - and didn't see 'free money' as something she wanted to take part in. There was always something that people seemed to want. From women, it was usually their bodies - which was what she had been thinking the direction of the evening would have gone as soon as money was mentioned.

Vlad takes to the Fog

Her glare fell upon him after he mentioned rewarding her for her kindness. She was strong of will, much stronger than the other women of the valley.

“Despite what you may very well think, good Sir, not everyone that you meet upon a cold street is in need or in want of your money,” she said as the color rose in her face. He could hear her beating heart as it sped, pumping the sweet nectar through her veins. “I was quite willing to go with you so you could, as you said "sleep better at night", however, now I do not think that I wish to accompany you any further. As I said, the shop you need to find is three buildings down. Goodnight, Sir.

She stormed past him and he closed his eyes, savoring the luscious beat of her heart as she passed. The rhythmic thrumming was heightened by her anger. A thin smile crept its way onto his face as she marched down the street and into the darkness towards her home. She would be coming back with him this night, willing or not.

He breathed in the cool, dank air as the fog began to grow about him, seeping up from the earth and flowing from between the buildings as water in a flood. He glided down the street, masked by the fog and discarding any notions of blending in as he worked his way towards her, following the beating of her heart. Anyone who was out this late would likely not see him through the fog, and even if they did, would likely not pay enough attention to see that his feet were not planted on the ground.

The fog both led and followed him down the deserted street, surrounding him on all sides and reaching out into the alleyways and cross streets he passed. The hunt for his latest conquest was on. These hunts, rare and far between, were one of the few things he still relished. The thrill of the chase, the moment of surprise, and the sweet pleasure of victory; each held its own reward.

He saw her soft silhouette ahead as the fog began to creep over her, surrounding her and blotting out the lights from the houses ahead of her.

He chuckled to himself as he approached her.

“Lass, you may not know what devils are prowling the streets tonight, but I do…”

She was angry, feeling belittled in the offer of money, though some part of her figured it to be almost common for someone of his stature to assume anyone of a lower class would beg and want any money offered.

Being young, however, the anger and fire was fresh still, and her confidence had not wavered as she quickly moved away from the man - a man who she felt now undeserving of any sort of help.

Her quest to reach her house was interrupted by a sudden fog, and it being so completely dense forced her to stop walking. Her eyes watched as it moved forward as well, making any sort of sight to her front impossible. She squinted, as though to see if that would aid her in sight, but it did not. There was one thing, however - that broke the silence. His voice.

"Lass, you may not know what devils are prowling the streets tonight, but I do.."

It was Him. She turned immediately to where she had heard him - taking a quick step back as the man seemed to appear out of nowhere. Immediately her hand flew to her chest, fingers clutching the cross dangling from the chain.

"..Who are you.." Despite all of the confidence that she may have held earlier, at this point her voice shook as she continued to back away, just slowly - ready to run at any moment in the other direction. This was not normal. The chill in the air had already given her a bad feeling for the night - but this? This was just something that could near cause insanity. And of course - being so late, there was no one around to aid her if necessary..for all houses and shops at this point were locked tightly.

Into the Fog...

Hey voice cracked as she spun to face him. She held the small cross in her trembling hands as her eyes grew wide at his presence. He stopped short of her, the power of the small silver symbol keeping him at bay and away from her for the time being.

“Who are you?” came the trembling voice from the young girl. He let himself back to the ground, walking slowly and deliberately around her, keeping her focus on him and not the direction she was traveling. He continued to circle her as he talked, keeping several paces of fog between himself and her.

“As I said before, I have just come down for some supplies from the castle above the valley floor. My name is Lord Vlad Drakul. I have lived above this valley for some time, but rarely come down anymore thanks to the lack of sophistication or courtesy I receive when I do.”

He continued to circle, making sure not to break eye contact with her as he continued to walk.

“I had hoped things had changed since the last time I ventured down the mountain, but I see that those who live here have yet to grow beyond their means. People in this village are still the same untrusting, unfriendly clods they have been for decades. And yes, lass, I do know what devils prowl the streets, for I have seen many in my time. I have seen the beasts, both of man and of nature, I have seen the horrors that lurk in the shadows, I have seen the darkest pits of evil that man has brought upon himself.”

He had walked around her several times now, turning her around in the fog.

“All I had asked for was a simple favor, nothing more, but you have refused even that simple service to me.”

He turned and walked away from her a few paces until she could no longer see him in the fog.

“I hope for your sake that there are no devils prowling about in that fog you’re lost in.”

He stood and waited for her to make her move, listening to the glorious thumping of her heart in the darkness.

Vlad Makes An Offer

She stepped back into the fog, her startled eyes darting to find some sense of familiarity in the fog. It was a dense enough fog that tiny droplets of water began to form on his cloak, beading and sliding down its length to the earth below. He could only make out her most basic attributes through the dense air, but he imagined that the droplets were also forming in her hair and on her face, adding to the claustrophobic effect.

He wanted to give her one last chance to come with him willingly before he resorted to taking her by force. He moved closer to her slowly as he began to lighten the fog slightly. It was still thick enough to obscure the town from her vision, but thin enough so that the two of them could see one another.

“It is not a nice feeling to be left alone to fend for one’s self in strange surroundings, is it my dear?” He came close to her, again staying two paces away from the small crucifix still clutched tightly in her hand. “Now, if you would come with me, I will lead you from this fog. And put that silly trinket away.”

He turned and began to move deeper into the fog, walking just fast enough to let her see his form in the mist. He did not head back into town, however, but walked through a fallow field towards the carriage he had left on the road. The fog remained around her and extended just beyond his own vision, but the opaque air did not bother him, he saw through it as if it didn’t exist.

The thrumming of her heart grew fainter as he walked away. Inwardly, he hoped the beat would grow stronger as she followed. He did not want to use force and have to hide another body this night.

Hitching the Horses

She stopped behind him and he could feel the defiance in her spirit. He continued walking, but thinned the fog lightly between them so she could still make out his outline in the dense air. Her accent came up slightly and her voice faltered as she questioned his intentions.

He ignored her initially, instead clicking his tongue to summon his beasts of burden. The horses neighed in the dark air, coming to him almost instinctively through the fog. They had been with him for some time, as had their sires, and their sires before them had. Their fine breeding and pure bloodline made them prime specimens of their species, both in power and majesty. He moved methodically and without hurry, untying their lead ropes from the tree and hitching them into the harnesses of the carriage as he began to speak.

“Child, I am a man of simple needs, and one thing I have been without for some time now is proper company. Your brethren here are, shall we say, broken. Their spirits hold none of the fire and brimstone that yours does.”

He pulled the harnesses tight as the horses whinnied, an almost unnatural sound in the silence of the night. He waited for just a second, his back still to the girl, before continuing.

“You have something unique, something I have not seen here for many years. You have the means to rise above the swine that are content to live out their lives by just surviving. You have the means, through my guidance and teachings, to become more than any mortal here could ever dream.”

He turned to face her and lowered the small step from the carriage side. The fog parted more drastically, thinning between them to almost nothing and thickening at the edges of her vision to a nearly solid wall. The hitched horses were growing restless, straining at the harnesses, aching to unleash their breeding. His eyes settled upon her and her defiant stance. Her hands had left the charm that had kept him at bay. He smiled.

“Now, come child. We have a long ride ahead of us.”

Blue eyes still tried to focus in the fog despite the fact that it was near impossible, until it seemed to thin enough for his outline to be seen. A silhouette of a man of obvious fine breeding, standing straight, tall, confident.

When the horses came her heartbeat quickened, their neighs almost frightening, and the fact that they could see through the fog..it was just an odd turn of events.

She had almost immediately began to relax as he began speaking to her, looking almost defeated as well as nearly completely calm, watching as he fixed the horses, tilting her head curiously. He was so relaxed about everything..about taking her away - to 'teach her' as he called it.

And when he turned to face him she immediately felt herself flush, cheeks darkening in colour just slightly when his eyes caught her own, which she could see only when the fog parted in a small path only, the rest of everything blocked by a thicker fog that had been around her before, leaving a pathway only to him and the carriage.

"Now, come child. We have a long ride ahead of us."

Despite the fact that she didn't want to come with him and that everything about this was wrong, her feet seemed to move on their own toward him, toward the carriage. When she reached it, she waited for his hand, chin tilted upward somewhat - her eyes again not focused on him but instead the door of the carriage - her pale cheeks still adorned with the slowly lightening blush.

To The Castle

She came without hesitation, as the charm’s effect was passive only. She had to be holding it for her mind to resist his. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and he closed his eyes and smelled deeply of her as she stepped into the carriage. Her slightly raised chin gave him the view he had hoped for; that of a soft and pristine neck.

He settled into the carriage after she was seated and took the reins. The horses performed as they had been bred to do, pulling the load up the steep hill. He spoke not once to her on the journey, keeping his eyes fixated on the narrow path ahead. He would hate for the simple distraction of fresh flesh to be the end of such a fine lineage of horses. It would be quite a shame for the two beasts to plunge to their deaths and he had become rather fond of the cloak he was wearing.

The uphill trek took slightly less time than its counterpart and the two soon found themselves in front of the gates to the castle atop the ridge. The iron monstrosities seemed to part on their own accord, letting the carriage pass through and closing quietly behind it. They departed the carriage and stood before the great mahogany doors that led into the castle. An unseen servant, whose face was obscured in the dim light that came from the waning moon, led the horses down a cart path and around to the stables.

“Welcome to Castle Drakul, my dear,” he said, pulling one of the great brass rings and opening the door to the marble-floored entry hall beyond.

She hadn't asked any questions after she sat down, seeming to be more interested in taking in every sight around her then questioning his motives any farther.

However the curvy path did make her somewhat uncomfortable, but he seemed to have a complete grip on how to make the horses move as to avoid any sort of catastrophe.

Blue eyes found the castle easily, and as soon as she saw it she couldn't take her eyes off of it. The size and grandeur of the place was all too encapsulating, making her heart race in anticipation.

Climbing off of the carriage, being led to the doors, she couldn't help but be excited about what lied beyond the door.

As he pulled the door open, her eyes widened just slightly, very hesitantly stepping past him into the castle with a quiet, barely audible 'Thank you', apparently breathless due to the sight.

And it was just the hall. It was of course magnificent and all that she could do was look around, trying to take everything in, wanting to remember every detail of the place.

The Great Hall

The castle had been built centuries before when Vlad had first come to the valley. The small village below offered a pleasant feasting ground, and the villagers were happy to build such a castle to help stave off the poverty that they were sinking into. Their specialized craftsmanship skills and willingness to work for years on the construction had made the fortress a symbol of both opulence and decadence.

The main hall of the castle stretched the entire two-hundred-foot length of the building and was open to the second and third floors above. The black marble floor was polished to a near-mirror shine and reflected the great stone statues that stood unmoving along the length of the room as well as the several torch-lit crystal chandeliers hanging above. Vlad had lived in this castle for some four-hundred years, ever since he had been driven out of his family’s original home when the village below learned what he truly was. He had taken it upon himself to make this place his own, instead of updating and modifying as he had done when he inherited his family abode following his ascension to the throne. The locked third floor was his pride and joy, a region where every man’s fantasies and dreams could become reality, an area this girl would become quite familiar with as time passed.

She stood there in awe of the size of the hall, the same overwhelmed and awed look that the others he had brought here before her had shown. He stepped past her as she took in the magnificent surroundings and began to walk down the center of the hall towards the great floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the mouth of the valley. He passed the statues that he had commissioned over the centuries depicting the most beautiful women of the times. Even though their nude forms were cleft from granite, the detail in their forms made the stone vixens seem almost alive. He cast no reflection on the stone floor as he turned to face her again.

“Come now, lass, and I will show you about my home,” he said, holding his hand out to her. “And I do not believe I ever asked your name.”

She was trying to take in every aspect of the place, blue eyes searching and looking at everything from the largest to the smallest detail. It may not have been something that she had realized yet..that she was actually going to be staying here - though it was likely that it would soon come up in conversation.

As he moved forward into the home she blinked out of what seemed to be an almost dazed sight, eyeing the offered hand. It took her a moment before she took a hesitant step forward, cautiously taking his arm instead of his hand, but forcing a smile all the same.

Her eyes gazed over each statue, and was anticipating learning more about the home, seeing more of it.

"And I do not believe I ever asked your name."

His voice again brought her back to her senses, and she glanced up to him, fear momentarily gone. "..Celeste. And I am certain that that is the only name you will ever need to know."

She didn't want to let him know her last name, though then again he probably did. Not only that but he most likely realized that she wouldn't be all too excited about living in the house when she realized that there was no intention of bringing her back to her small town.

The Castle

He looked down to her and smiled wickedly as she took him by the crook of his arm; an uncharacteristically ladylike gesture from a town of peasants. She made no move to run, no move to try to leave. As soon as he could get her to remove that accursed pendant from her neck, she would be wholly his for as long as he found necessary.

“Celeste,” he repeated, raising his chin and staring up to the high ceiling. “Latin for heavenly. Very Fitting.”

As she took to his side, he began taking her through the castle, showing her the rooms one by one, but leaving out certain passageways and anterooms that only he used and connected various areas of the castle to one another.

Ironically, the castle was built in the shape of a traditional cross, with the massive Great Hall lying on the north-to-south axis. The kitchen area, grand dining room, and storage rooms sat in the eastern wing, while the library filled the entirety of west wing of the building, save for the large staircase leading to the upper floors. He kept the room descriptions to a minimum, allowing her eyes to roam the finely painted murals and tapestries on the walls and take in the finely crafted furniture and flooring.

Vlad paused when they entered the library, his eyes scanning the thousands upon thousands of books contained within. Time had allowed him access to all of them, and he had amassed one of the largest unknown collections of literature on the planet. A small smile creased his lips as his eyes settled on a particular shelf deep within the stacks. The shelf, second from the top, third case from the right, contained a copy of nearly every book written on the pleasures of the flesh. Some of the books had come from as far away as the Indus River valley in the spice-faring lands of the east, others from more local scribes.

He led her to the second floor, where the bedrooms were located. Hers, along with several smaller guest chambers, sat to the east as his filled the western wing. The linens on her bed were of a high-quality silk and exceptionally smooth cottons. The village had never seen such high-grade materials; a single yard of the silk that had been used would cost the average farmer below a year’s worth of earnings. They did not stay long in his chambers, lest she notice that his bed had not been slept in for ages and a fine layer of dust had settled over his linens. His place of slumber lay beneath the castle, as it had for all time. They passed by the large iron-banded wooden door leading up to the third floor, which was held fast with a large lock and ring, as they returned to the stairwell leading to the lower floor of the keep.

They stood on the landing overlooking the Great Hall for several minutes before he turned to face her.

“Welcome to your new home, Celeste.”

She looked away as soon as she saw the evil in his grin, though nodded quietly as soon as she heard the meaning of her name, simply agreeing with him.

He led her through each room, and she rather enjoyed the sights - of course. Everything was splendid, and everything was impeccable. The books she had to pause at, eyes scanning over the many hundreds, feeling a tug at her arm as she was to be led from that room to the next.

She flinched as he spoke, however - about this being her home, looking immediately flushed and taken aback, taking a step away from him and again looking around, though this time it was in confusion. In a whole new light.

"I'm sorry you must have mis-spoke. I'll just be going now."

Turning away she began walking away from him, trying to remember where everything was, steadily moving toward the stairs at this point, brushing her hair from her eyes in a nervous habit, not even looking back at him.

She didn't want to stay there, but now was understanding how he wouldn't let her go back to the town, back to her home, making the fog so oddly unclouded just in front of herself in order to see him. He wasn't going to let her leave - but she could and would try.

The Dawning Truth

She followed him obediently through the castle, her eyes wide with awe at the craftsmanship and exotic materials throughout the keep. She recoiled lightly when he told her that she would be staying here, pulling away from his arm and nervously walking towards the stairs.

“I'm sorry, you must have misspoken. I'll just be going now,” she said as she averted her eyes from him and began to walk away from him. The wicked smile returned to his lips as she moved towards the stairs. He knew it was a futile move on her part, but that defiant spark in her spirit had yet to accept that fact that she would never leave this castle unless he wished so.

“No, Celeste, I did not misspeak,” he said, matching her pace but staying two steps behind her. “And what, pray tell, do you plan to do once you walk out those doors? Go back to the village where you would serve any man who whistles your direction? Walk the six miles down the mountain, alone, in the dead of night? With the feral beasts of the darkness nipping at your heels? I think not.”

He quickened his pace slightly, catching her just as she was beginning to step down onto the first stair. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he spun her around to face him. Her heartbeat was quickened, her pure blood pulsing in the veins beneath his hand. His striking blue eyes seemed to bore into her as his voice became deliberate and firm.

“Your new home is this castle, and I am your new master.”

She heard his voice so close behind her and immediately grew tense, breath quickened and somewhat uneven. Her heartrate had increased dramatically, and at this point she wanted to break into a run but refrained because she was so close to the stairs.

Instead, just as she was about to step down the stair a firm grasp was on her shoulder, forcing her to turn and face him, blue eyes wide now with fear - mostly because of the distinct change in demeanor,..in the change in his voice - but also because he had spoken of feral beasts if she were to go back toward the village.

Instead, all that she could do was stand there, lips parting due to a sharp intake of breath. She was standing on the edge of the stairs - and while she was vaguely aware of that, she was more aware aware of the fact that he had so easily stopped her..caught her - and turned her to face him, just as she was about to step down.

Shaking her head just slightly, she again lifted her hand to the cross around her neck - but felt a strange desire to pull it from her neck - to remove it, however she fought it.

"..I don't have a new home...I..I live and I work like anyone would..and you are far from any master of mine...take your hand off of me.." Despite the words, her voice wavered and faltered.

The Stairwell

She inhaled sharply as he turned her, a mixture of surprise and defiance on her face. Her fingers traced their way up her corset to the small cross that was still dangling around her neck. The defiance was returning to her as her fingers played over the edges of the small charm. In his mind, he cursed the token. Such a small piece of metal, but the faith that was put behind it gave it that much more influence over her. Her lips opened and closed as if she were a fish out of water, trying to grasp the right words before she spoke.

“I don't have a new home. I…I live and I work like anyone would, and you are far from any master of mine,” she said in an unsteady tone. Slowly, the fire was returning to her eyes. Her heart began to beat faster, changing rhythm from fear to adrenaline-fueled vigor. “Take your hand off of me.”

With her free hand, she pushed his hand from her shoulder. He had not seen such defiance in some time, and the last one to show such had succumbed to an unfortunate accident. He paused for a split second, his mind reeling into the past at the similarities between this Celeste and the one he had known only as Kathryn.

She had been similar to Celeste in her defiance and disrespect. He had brought her here much the same way as he had this girl, just a force of a strong will over a weaker. But once they had reached the castle, she had become insolent and brutish. He was unable to break her will, and as time wore on, he became more and more dissatisfied with her. He eventually grew tired of her rebelliousness and need for material things and had led her down into the catacombs beneath the castle with the promise of a finely crafted jeweled necklace. She was elated at the piece of fine jewelry, but the chemically-soaked rag he placed over he nose and mouth had cut her euphoria short as her body crumpled to the floor. She, along with the necklace, became permanent residents in the catacombs when Vlad walled the alcove off, her unconscious and living body still inside.

The split second ended when Celeste turned her eyes from his and began to walk once again down the stairs. He knew she had a boldness in her spirit, and he hoped he could break it before she became troublesome and ended up as Kathryn had.

He waited until she reached the halfway point of the staircase, where it turned back upon itself like a serpent; her eyes rose along the banister for just an instant before returning to the stairs in front of her. A slight reassurance that he was still above her and not following. Her eyes went back to the stairs and floor before her as Vlad deftly stepped up onto the railing and continued over into the air below. He fell as any being would, but landed with the grace and precision of a hunting cat. His boots made hardly a sound as they contacted the polished floor. She stopped on the second stair, a look of bewilderment on her face as to how he could have beaten her down without passing her on the stair.

“You see, my dear, you have little choice in the matter,” he said, straightening his vest. “I am your new master, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner we can dispatch with these…unpleasantries.”

She had been quite proud of her defiant behavior, though of course had no idea of what was actually going on - or that he had already encountered this, or that the woman who had encountered it was far beyond everyone's reach.

She simply continued down the stairs only to pause and glance back, however he was still there, no longer moving after her. With a sigh of relief she turned back and went down the stairs, having to stop as he stood and straightened, speaking to her. She was unable to hide any bit of confusion, looking from where he was only to turn and look back to where he had been.

"..What are you."

It took her a moment to force out the words. He has spoken of it before, but this time was different. This time..she was more frightened. Already her left foot was again on the step behind her, as though ready to sprint in any necessary direction.

"..You have no pull over me, Sir..I..I don't know what sort of devil is within you but I cannot help you in any way."

Her movement was again slow, and she stepped down the stairs with a great deal of hesitation, though stood on the first stair in order to be more at eye-level with him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"..You cannot keep someone here against their will, Sir. And I certainly have no will to stay here but to leave..and go back to my own home. So if you would be so kind. I..appreciate your brief company, however I will soon have to tend to my parents."

She cared for them, though at this point had no idea that she would probably never see them again - not that they would survive much longer on their own - but without her to aid they certainly would perish in days.